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Nicaragua’s dictator goes after Miss Universe As Nicaragua has marched steadily toward dictatorship in recent years, its government has attacked opposition politicians, the Catholic Church, journalists and universities. Now it’s going after the beauty queens. [more inside]
posted by Toddles on Dec 19, 2023 - 9 comments

Here are the "National Costumes" brought to you by Buzzfeed. What costume best epitomizes one's culture and nation, while also showing off one's abs? And who will be the most beautiful man? Spoiler alert: [more inside]
posted by Hypatia on Mar 15, 2022 - 28 comments

This wasn’t a reality show, nor was it one of the elite bookings Anna enjoyed back in New York or Milan. We were there for a fake beauty pageant, one our Beijing modeling agency had booked us for, telling us it was a “fashion show” and providing no further details. It was only after we boarded our early-morning flight to Ordos that the true nature of the event was revealed. “We’re on our way to another ‘Miss’ thing,” a Ukrainian girl said from her seat with a groan. I was hired as Miss America; Anna, despite being Brazilian, as Miss Chile. It would have been the strangest 36 hours of my life—if, over the previous two months, I hadn’t done it twice before.

Life as a Fake Beauty Queen in Small-Town China
posted by divabat on Nov 24, 2014 - 3 comments

France's upper house of parliament, the Sénat has passed a women's equality bill, which aims to redress some of the persistent inequalities between men and women, in the sphere of pay, jobs and parental leave. [more inside]
posted by roomthreeseventeen on Sep 18, 2013 - 38 comments